


Only 90s Kids Remember

by Dinosaurjockey



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3923644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinosaurjockey/pseuds/Dinosaurjockey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in 1998 America, a telling of the DA2 characters in a modern 90s setting. An AU I've been perfecting for months, I even made music playlists for all the characters that I will post gradually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only 90s Kids Remember

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god! I finally finished the first chapter of this! I worked really hard on this AU, talked it out with my Skype group, I have SO MANY notes on it. I spent so much time picking their style in this era and the music they listen to. The first few chapters will focus primarily on Sebastian and Carver. I have playlists for these two as well! The Sebastian one is ready and can be found on 8tracks.

Carver stood in front of the shelves of CDs, scratching the back of his head as he tried to decide which album to get. It had to be perfect, something she'd love. He narrowed his eyes as they trailed down the rows. Bethany liked 80s music, real poppy stuff, like Cyndi Lauper.

 

"May I help you look for something?" A smooth voice broke through his thoughts, Carver turned to meet a pair of striking blue eyes.

 

"Oh, uh, no." He stuttered a bit, his eyes darting back and forth between the CDs and other man. He must be a new guy, Carver had never seen him before; he was incredibly handsome.

 

"Cyndi Lauper, hm? You don't seem like an 80’s type." The man hummed curiously, eyeing Carver's ratty jeans, dirty Converse, and red flannel. Carver could hear the hint of an accent on his tongue, Scottish?

 

"No, it's-" he paused a moment, the words tasting bitter. "I'm getting it for my sister, she really likes Cyndi Lauper."

 

"Well, I'm sure she'll love it, would you like me to ring you up?" He asked with a smile that made Carver's chest tighten. He nodded, grabbing the CD and following the man to the counter. Carver said nothing as the employee rang him up, his eyes roving over him and landing on the name tag around his neck. Sebastian.

 

"Here you go." Sebastian said, handing the bag to Carver and flashing a toothy grin. Carver met those icy blue eyes again and he felt a blush rise in his cheeks. He took the bag and gulped nervously, returning the smile, he hurriedly walked to the door, his heart beating furiously in his chest.

 

 

Carver drove a few miles out of town into the countryside and pulled into a church parking lot. Gathering up the CD and flowers he bought earlier that day, he headed up the too familiar path to the top of the hill where the cemetery sat. Treading carefully through the tombstones, he stopped in front of one covered in flowers and CDs and stuffed animals.

 

"Bethany, I brought you another gift." He said softly as he sat, placing the objects gently against the stone. "It's Cyndi Lauper, remember how you used to blare it on the way to school, and I would get so mad at you? You would sing at the top of your lungs as we pulled into the parking lot, the kids would stare and I got so embarrassed. What I would give to hear you sing one more time..."

 

He stopped, wringing his hands together and staring at the ground. These visits had become routine, every afternoon. He'd stop at her grave, bringing flowers and other gifts. He'd tell her about his day, how he was feeling, or sometimes he'd just sit quietly with her. “You know, Marian got a new girlfriend. Well, two. They’re kind of all dating, they’re really nice. Sometimes Isabela is a little rowdy and inappropriate, but I like her. Merrill is sweet, she plays Pokemon a lot. Marian is really happy.

“And there is Garrett. He’s been really stressed lately; an old friend of his, Fenris, showed up. In really bad shape and asking for a place to stay. I think Garrett sent him to stay with Anders’

 

"Oh, but, Beth, guess what?" He asked as if expecting a response. "When I went to get your CD there was a new guy at the record store. He's not from here, I think he's from somewhere around Scotland maybe. Anyway, he's really cute, I couldn't even speak around him hardly. I think I'll go back tomorrow, maybe he'll be there again.

“You know, mom won’t let me set the table for you anymore.” His fingers scratch at the dirt, but he jerks his hand away suddenly, afraid of destroying her grave. “She says there’s no reason to anymore, but that isn't true. I need to keep setting a place for you, because that’s what we did for dad, remember?”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking up to try and dry the tears that dared to come through. “I can’t stop, it makes me feel better and I guess they don’t understand that. At least not mom, Garrett and Marian don’t really say much, but I see their looks. Their pitied looks. I don’t need it.” He stopped, suddenly growing quiet. He watched her grave silently. “Why was it you? It should have been me. _It should have been me_. You would have coped better, better than me anyway. You were always so strong, always the strong one in the family.”

He grew silent again, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his head in his arms. He couldn't do this; it was all too much, he was so weak. Thoughts of Sebastian suddenly crept into his mind. Maybe he was wrong, but he felt himself calm a little and he smiled softly. “Maybe I’ll go back tomorrow, huh, Beth?”

 

 

Garrett and Marian were on the couch when Carver arrived home. Marian was playing Doom while Garrett watched, they looked up when Carver walked through the door. Marian was about to greet him when they saw the smile on his face. A genuine smile, one they hadn't seen in almost a year. Sure he smiled when they talked to him, but it wasn't real, it was forced, stiff. Carver avoided their stare, trying to hide it, but they saw the red tinge to his cheeks and light in his eyes.

 

When he entered his room and slammed the door, the older twins exchanged a glance. "Did you see that?" Marian asked quietly. Garrett nodded, eyes lingering on the closed door.

 

"Should we talk to him?"

 

Marian pursed her lips, it was more likely than not that Carver wouldn't speak to anyone about it. "It won't matter, he won't tell us until he's ready. But still, he smiled, Garrett, a real one. Whatever it is, I approve."

 

 

 

Carver sat in his car outside the record store, his stomach churning nervously and chest tight. He came to get a new CD, that's what he told himself anyway, and he knew Sebastian was in there. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, just go in, get a CD, and leave. Carver took a deep breath and stepped out of his car.

 

When he entered the record store a tiny bell attached to the top chimed, signaling his arrival. Sebastian glanced up from the counter and beamed when he saw who it was. Carver felt his face redden at the smile, and turned to head towards the rock section of the store. He flipped through the CDs mindlessly, tensing up when he heard footsteps approaching.

 

"You're back, looking for something for your sister again?" Sebastian smiled, leaning against the CD rack and crossing his arms. Carver shot him a nervous glance, his brown hair was pushed back and his eyes shone with an amused light.

 

Carver chewed his bottom lip anxiously. Maker, he was handsome. "No, I'm just looking for something for myself." He replied, not looking in Sebastian's' direction. They were silent for a moment, Carver could feel the other man's eyes searching him. His anxiety was growing by the second; why wasn't he walking away? Didn't he have some other responsibilities he could tend to?

 

Sebastian glanced from Carver to the CD he had picked up, "A rock fan, huh? Cute _and_  good taste in music?" He flirted playfully.

 

Carver's face burned brightly. He dropped the CD in shock and started to panic, "Oh. I, uhm-" he scratched his head furiously, quickly turning his back to Sebastian. He couldn't do this, he hadn't had any other human reaction other than his family in months. How did he respond? What did he say? Oh, Maker, he was being _flirted_  with, by an attractive man nonetheless.

 

Sebastian frowned at his sudden reaction, "Hey, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to freak you out, I was just trying to start conversation. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

 

Carver put a hand to his eyes and turned around, trying desperately to avoid Sebastian's gaze. "No, what-what-no. It's fine, I-I'm not use to it, it caught me off guard." He babbled embarrassingly, trying to grasp at what to say. The bell chiming interrupted their painful interaction. Sebastian looked to Carver and said he'd be right back, jogging off to help the new customer. But Carver wasn't hanging around any longer, and he darted out the door before Sebastian could notice.

 

 

Carver drove home with a smile. Sebastian flirted with him. Him. Carver wasn't use to attention, his broody demeanor usually scared people off, but not Sebastian. No, Sebastian had come to him and he blew it. He acted like a fool back there, but he was just so shocked.

 

He pulled into his driveway and rushed to his room, trying to hide the smile just in case his siblings were around. To his luck, he avoided an encounter, he collapsed into his bed and reached to turn on his radio. Carver closes his eyes. Sebastian had been sweet. Really sweet. The kind of guy that Bethany would date, the kind of guy that would like Bethany.

 

Bethany. Sweet and funny and not afraid of flirting with people. Not broody, like him. People usually teased him, if they dared speak of or to him at all. And now that he thought about it...no. No, Sebastian had been nice. And helpful. But that was his job, wasn't it? And he'd laughed at Carver's lack of knowledge. At the time it'd seemed like just friendly amusement. Reflecting on it now...

 

Carver hadn't been flirted with a lot in the past, but he was sure you weren't supposed to laugh when the other party wasn't making jokes. Unless, of course, you were nervous as hell, and Sebastian didn't strike him as the type to get nervous. Oh, Maker. It hit him, very suddenly, that Sebastian was probably mocking him. He had that look about him - the kind of upper crust guy who enjoyed talking down to people. The kind who enjoyed making fun of them, too, later.

 

Carver felt his heart drop into his stomach. He rolled over, cursing at the stupid clerk and at himself. _Bloody brilliant, you are_ , he chided himself, trying not to shed tears. Stupid sensitive baby. He'd have liked Beth. Why would he like you?

Carver couldn't return to that record store, not while Sebastian was there.

 

 

Two weeks went by since that day, and Carver had stayed firm in his decision, until now. He had been looking through Beth's music collection, a habit he had built up since her death. When he felt particularly lonely he'd put in one of her favorites and listen to the whole thing, thinking of her and finding comfort in the memories. It was during one of these moments that he found Beth’s favorite Prince album was worn out to the point it wouldn't play, the back covered in scratches and dirt. Carver HAD to get another one, it was Beth’s favorite. So, reluctantly, he drove to the record store. He walked up to the door and stopped, heart racing, he took a deep breath and stepped in. The doorbell seemed oddly loud today and he flinched at the sound.

 

Sebastian looked up from the inventory work he had been doing for hours; his mouth dropped at the familiar figure. He scrambled up and rushed over, the events of two weeks ago playing in his mind. Sebastian didn't understand why he had ran out that day but he waited anxiously for him to return.

 

"Hey, it's been awhile, I didn't think you were going to come back." Sebastian said with a smile, following Carver around the store like a lost puppy.

 

Carver didn't look at him as he spoke, "I didn't plan on it." He murmured smartly under his breath. Moving away, he found the section labeled 'P' and flipped through. Sebastian frowned and moved in closer, leaning against the shelf so he could see Carver's face. He was so close that Carver could smell the subtle scent of hair gel, it made a blush rise in his cheeks and his heart quicken. He tried to bolt again but Sebastian stopped him with a gentle grip of his wrist.

 

"I apologize for my behavior the other day, it was uncalled for and I overstepped my boundaries." He stopped, searching the soft face. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I was just trying to make conversation with you. I find you interesting, though, I don't even know your name." He laughed at that, a short breathy laugh that made Carver's ears redden. He wanted to bolt, to ignore the smooth voice, forget the sincere blue eyes that bore into him. Carver was broody, distant, unapproachable; this man was just making fun of him. Right? There was nothing interesting about him, how could this man say otherwise? It was obviously a joke.

 

"I didn't think you'd come back, I thought I'd have to find you myself." Sebastian said softly and pulled his hand away to lean back against the shelf. Carver felt his resolve shake, and he couldn't bring himself to keep believing Sebastian had bad intentions.

 

"Carver." He mumbled.

 

Sebastian looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "What's that?"

 

"My name is Carver."

 

Sebastian’s face broke into a wide grin, “So you’re not mad, then? Good! So who are you in for this time?"

 

"My sister again." He said nervously with a soft smile.

 

"You and your sister must be close if you buy her CDs so much." Sebastian replied.

 

"Yeah," Carver smiled, feeling himself start to relax. "We share music a lot, so buying each other CDs is kind of tradition."

 

Carver started to talk about Bethany excitedly, telling about all the music she liked, all the movies and TV shows; it was nice to talk about Bethany for once. It was still a sensitive subject in the Hawke household. Sebastian listened eagerly, smiling when Carver would get particularly excited. He was glad the boy was actually talking rather than running. The ringing of the shop bell interrupted their conversation.

 

Carver looked at the watch on his wrist and panicked when he saw an hour had passed, "O-oh, I am so sorry, I got carried away. My sister is just really great, I'm sorry, I'm dumb. You could have told me to shut up."

 

Sebastian laughed at the boy's blushing face. It was cute.  "No, no, you're fine. I do have to take care of these customers though. Maybe next time we should talk a little more about you, hm?"

 

Carver's blush deepened and he looked down quickly, "N-next time?"

 

"Well, yes, you are coming back, right? I would like to talk more." Sebastian's face glowed hopefully, blue eyes searching Carver's face. Carver had no idea how to process this, no one had ever wanted to talk him before, but this guy did. He shuffled his feet and nodded, hiding his smile, he walked out the door quickly.

 

Carver lay in Bethany's bed later, talking a million miles a minute about the kid he met at the record store. It was a habit, much like visiting her grave, to sit in her room and talk as if she was there. Carver has felt extremely lonely since her death. She was his best friend, the person he'd go to vent or ramble, so when she died he felt he lost his rock. Since Carver didn't have friends, or a close relationship with his other siblings, he still went to Beth's room and talked to her when he needed to.

 

Marian walked up to the room, about to shout for Carver to come to dinner when she heard him talking. She knew Carver talked to Beth like this, it was something that made her heart wrench but had gotten used to. Leaning against the door frame, she listened to Carver's one-sided conversation. "He's great, Beth. At first I thought he was mocking me, but I think he's genuinely interested in me. It's so weird, I haven't really had a friend besides you, I hope it goes well."

 

Marian put a hand to her mouth to hide a squeal. Carver met someone. He was making a friend and sounded happy. They hadn't seen Carver have friends, much less see him happy, since the accident. He had taken Bethany's death the worst. But Carver had apparently made a friend! She silently ran off towards Garrett's room to tell him the news.

 

 

Carver visited Sebastian every day since, arriving just after opening and hanging around. Talking and helping set up the store. Sebastian mostly ran it himself. There were other employees, but they worked the night shift. Sebastian talked about how he moved from Scotland to live with his aunt and uncle a year ago, and he was finally able to get a place of his own, as well as get a job here. He said he worked at a record store in Scotland as well, so he was use to this type of environment. All his other jobs were food jobs and he absolutely loathed them.

 

It was the third day Carver had visited, he walked into the store and was greeted by loud music playing over the intercom. It was a familiar rift, Metallica's Enter Sandman, a song he found odd to be playing. Was Sebastian not working today? He walked to the back of the store where the manager's office was and saw Sebastian standing over the desk, looking through some papers. His head was bobbing in time with the music, and he sang the lyrics softly. Carver's mouth broke into a wide grin. He looked at Sebastian's cleanly shaved face, his smartly styled hair, his clean white shirt and perfect jeans. This definitely didn't look like a man who listened to Metallica.

 

Leaning against the door frame, Carver tapped the slightly open door. Sebastian looked up, startled, and smiled softly. "Oh, hello, I didn't hear you come in."

 

"You don't seem like the heavy type," Carver said with a smirk.

 

Sebastian moved to turn off the CD player, "Ah, I've been told that quite a bit, my appearance doesn't really scream metal fan does it?" he said with a laugh.

 

"It makes me wonder about your taste in music now." Carver replied, following him to the front to help open the store. Sebastian chuckled gently, picking up CDs that hadn't been placed back in their proper spot. They said nothing for a while, silently going about their tasks. Once they were finished, they sat at the counter talking as usual until the store began to get busy. As Carver went to leave Sebastian stopped him, "You know, if you're interested in my taste in music, you could always go to dinner with me and discuss it. And maybe come by my apartment and I can show you my CD collection."

 

Carver's heart froze, he wasn't sure he heard that correctly. Sebastian wanted _him_ to go to dinner? He wanted Carver Hawke, the silent, unapproachable grump, to go to dinner. It was true that they had been getting to know each other over the past three days, and Carver was slowly getting more comfortable around Sebastian. But going to dinner, and his apartment, was a completely different story. Carver stood slack jawed, staring at the blue eyes that looked at him questioningly. Dammit, say something, Carver thought to himself, but his brain was too muddled.

 

Sebastian furrowed his brows in worry. "I mean, if that's not okay you don't have to. I was just offering."

 

Carver shook himself from his shocked stupor, and looked away, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. He rubbed his hair roughly and let out a loud huff. "Y-yes," he swallowed and cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice calm and make the shakiness not so obvious. "I'll go to dinner with you."

 

Sebastian's face lit up with a toothy grin, "Really? I'll pick you up around 7 then?"

 

Carver nodded, his cheeks still a deep red, he explained how to get to his and left with a wave, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.

 

 

Carver paced outside nervously, it was 6:45 and Sebastian should be there any minute. He had come home and locked himself in his room, thinking about the date all day. Date? Carver kept calling it a date, but he was sure it wasn't. There was no doubt Sebastian was his friend, but this being a date was a stretch. Carver shouldn't kid himself like that, right?

Nevertheless, he was excited. It was the first time he would be going out with a friend in almost two years, and it was a little nerve wracking. The hard part was avoiding Garrett and Marian's barrage of questions. They hounded him all evening about where he was going, who it was, but Carver dodged their questions as best he could. Now he stood outside, in the nicest clothes he could find, which was very little. Most of his jeans were ripped to shreds, and his converse were dirty, half of his shirts were band shirts or just solid black. But while he was able to fish out the least ripped pair of jeans, he unfortunately had to settle for a black shirt and his usual dirty converse.

 

Sebastian pulled up five minutes later in the smallest car Carver had ever seen, it was a dull baby blue color, two door with a sunroof. Carver walked to the passenger side, "Am I gonna fit in this thing?" he teased as he opened the door. Sebastian chuckled and asked where he would like to eat. They argued over it before deciding on a burger place that Carver loved and Sebastian had never tried. It wasn't the nicest place, but the food was good and that was all Carver really cared about.

 

They talked about all kinds of things over dinner. Sebastian told stories of his time in Scotland, funny things he and his brothers did. Carver told about his Bethany. He talked about her as if she was still alive. About how they listened to music together, went to school together, how they were practically inseparable. They went for an hour, telling stories back and forth, until Sebastian suggested they go back to his apartment. Carver's stomach churned nervously; being with him in public was one thing, but in private was a whole other story.

 

Sebastian's apartment was a small, one bedroom, but it was nice. What really stood out were the shelves upon shelves of CDs and the wall covered posters, all were of metal bands. Carver looked around in awe, "You really like metal music, huh?" he asked, standing in front of his CD shelves.

 

"Yeah, my dad really liked metal, so it's what I grew up with," he smiled, a distant look in his eyes, "My mom always nagged on my appearance though, she always said I needed to look my best."

 

Carver noticed the sad tone to his voice, but didn't prod him about it, "Well, it's certainly a surprise. Wanna show me some stuff?"

 

Sebastian grinned and nodded. They spent two hours talking about music, Sebastian showing him all the underground stuff he listened to. Carver wasn't a huge fan of metal, but he listened to his recommendations eagerly.  10:30 rolled around, and Carver mentioned he probably needed to go home. Sebastian's eyes flashed with disappointment, but he agreed and reluctantly took Carver home. They sat in his drive for a bit in silence. Carver felt a little embarrassed, unsure what to say.

"I had fun tonight." He finally spit out, thankfully without stuttering.

 

Sebastian looked to him and smiled. "Me too, we should do it more often, yeah?"

 

He walked Carver to the door and said their awkward goodbyes. When Carver was inside the house, he turned to walk back to his car. But was stopped by two people leaping out of the bushes along the driveway. Both had jet black hair like Carver; one even had the same blue eyes.

 

"So, you're the guy our brother is fawning over, huh?" Garrett asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

Marian smiled and grabbed Sebastian's hand, shaking it excitedly. "I'm so happy to meet you! Carver has hardly said a word to us about you, but we can tell he likes you. He's been real happy ever since you guys met."

 

Sebastian smiled awkwardly. "Ah, so you two must be his siblings, yes. I'm Sebastian Vael, nice to meet you."

 

"Yeah, I'm Garrett." the older Hawke said gruffly, still unsure about Sebastian.

 

"Then you must be Bethany? Carver talks about you all the time, he really cares for you, I'm pleased to finally meet you." Sebastian said with soft smile. Garrett and Marian's faces fell suddenly and they exchanged a look that said 'oh no.' He looked between the two with a puzzled expression. "Did I say something wrong?"

 

Marian cleared her throat and looked at the ground. "No, my name is Marian."

 

"Bethany is dead, she died in a car accident a couple years ago." he said grimly. "Carver still hasn't fully come to terms with her death, we don't think, and sometimes he acts as if she's still around. I see he acted that way with you."

 

Sebastian felt a strange feeling in his chest; something like sympathy, maybe. He suddenly felt close to tears and he looked back at the door that Carver went through not moments ago.

 


End file.
